Fairfield, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University football team handled business on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers shut down Patriot League opponent Georgetown University by a final score of 40-14 on Homecoming and Alumni Weekend.
 
The Pioneers tallied four touchdowns on the afternoon behind four different scorers - Xavier Leigh, Logan Lyson, Jalen Madison, and John Michalski. Leigh recorded his third straight game with a touchdown, while Lyson, Madison, and Michalski tallied their first of the season. 
 
On the defensive side of the ball, Myles Talley recorded four tackles, a fumble recovery for 19 yards, and an interception for 25 yards. Along with Talley, Nick Verbitsky registered an interception and collected four tackles. 
 
Teammate Ryan Moore also served as a defensive threat, tallying a team-high eight tackles. Isaiah Bishop recorded the Pioneers' lone sack of the afternoon for a loss of five yards.
 
Records:
SHU (2-1)
Georgetown (2-1)
 
Top Performers:
Offense – 
(QB) John Michalski: 16-25 | 209 yards (pass) | 11 attempts | 34 yards (rush) | 1 touchdown
(RB) Xavier Leigh: 12 attempts | 113 yards | 1 touchdown
(RB) Jalen Madison: 9 attempts | 111 yards | 1 touchdown
(WR) Ethan Hilliman: 4 receptions | 71 yards | 1 touchdown
 
Defense – 
(DB) Ryan Moore: 8 tackles (3 solo, 5 assist)
(DB) Jordan Campbell: 6 tackles (3 solo, 3 assist) | 1 fumble recovery
(LB) Myles Talley: 4 tackles (1 solo, 3 assist) | 1 fumble recovery | 1 interception
(LB) Nick Verbitsky: 4 tackles (1 solo, 3 assist) | 1 interception
 
How it Happened:
The Pioneers' turnover advantage made itself known early, as Tyreke Brown forced a Georgetown fumble on its first drive of the game, giving the home team a short field. 
 
With the ball on the 37-yard line, SHU needed just six plays to take the lead. Following a critical eight-yard catch by Hilliman and back-to-back runs by Michalski put the Pios on the scoreboard first. A missed extra point gave SHU a 6-0 lead 3:32 into the game. 
 
The Hoyas answered with a nine-play drive to take a 7-6 advantage with 7:35 left in the first. 
 
The offense found the endzone for the third consecutive drive, as SHU scored a TD on its next possession to retake the lead. The Pioneers gained most of their yards on the drive on a deep pass to Kevin McGuire. Two plays later, Michalski found Lyson open in the middle of the endzone to make it a 13-7 game. 
 
Not to be outdone, the Hoyas answered with a touchdown in their next possession, going 71 yards on nine plays to take a 14-13 lead at the start of the second quarter. 

From that point, both defenses started to settle in, as neither team scored over the next six drives. The highlight of that stretch for SHU was forcing a turnover on downs by Georgetown with 1:11 left in the first half. 
 
With 66 yards to go and only 1:11 to do it, the Pios wasted no time marching down the field to end the half. The first two plays of the drive led to 16 yards for Sacred Heart before Michalski found Hilliman with a back-shoulder strike that the senior turned into a 44-yard gain. Hilliman's heroics were not done with the long catch-and-run, as he brought in a lofted pass by Michalski in the back of the endzone, just tapping his right toe in bounds for a circus touchdown to give SHU a 20-14 advantage with 25 seconds remaining in the half. 
 
With Sacred Heart scoring so quickly, the Hoyas got the ball back with a chance to answer. The Pioneers' defense was ready and waiting, as Myles Talley picked off Georgetown's QB Danny Lauter with 15 seconds on the clock, setting up a Matt Kling 21-yard field goal as time expired to send SHU into halftime up 23-14. 
 
Coming out of the break, both teams punted on their opening drives before the Pioneers put the next points on the scoreboard. Leigh stole the show for SHU in the drive, as he found paydirt on a 37-yard carry up the middle, juking a defender in the process, to stretch the margin to 30-14. 
 
Sacred Heart squashed the Hoyas' hopes of a comeback in the following drive, forcing their fourth turnover to stop a promising possession. Following a 39-yard catch by Cam Pygatt, BJ Lowery alertly punched the ball away from the falling receiver to give the home team the ball back. 
 
SHU put the finishing touches on its impressive victory with 10 more points in the fourth quarter. Jalen Madison got his chance to shine in the fourth, breaking an 84-yard run up the middle and scoring on the next play after being tripped up at the two. Madison's first TD of the season settled the score 40-14, where it stayed for the remainder of the game.

Of Note:

• The last time SHU tallied 40 or more points was back in 2022 against Stonehill. The Pioneers won by a final score of 40-27.
• Michalski earned his second win and is now 2-1 in his young collegiate career. 
• Leigh currently leads the Pioneers with four rushing touchdowns and has scored a touchdown in all three games.
• Myles' interception and fumble recovery were the first in his career.

Up Next:
The Pioneers return the field on Saturday, Sept. 21 with a road showdown against Stonehill College. The game is scheduled for 1:00 PM in North Easton, Mass.